Freedom Caucus seeks to delay Congress's promised gun control vote

Lois Beckett in New York
Thursday 7 July 2016 22.19 BST

Bowing to public concern that suspected terrorists on government watch lists are legally allowed to buy guns, House Republican leaders agreed last week to vote on a bill that would give law enforcement officials power to delay these sales.

It was the one piece of gun control legislation that House Republicans said would see a vote – even as House Democrats continued to stage public protests over the lack of any votes on other, broader gun control measures.

Now, even that single vote may not happen, due to opposition from House Republicans’ own Freedom Caucus. Citing Congressional aides and sources in Republican leadership, Politico reported on Thursday afternoon that the Freedom Caucus’ concerns over the bill would delay a vote, perhaps “indefinitely.”

In a statement, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi slammed the delay.

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House GOP indefinitely delays gun control votes

By Rachael Bade and John Bresnahan
07/07/16 12:55 PM EDT
Updated 07/07/16 01:07 PM EDT

House Republican infighting has forced GOP leaders to indefinitely postpone a vote on an "anti-terrorism package," leaving Congress with no legislative response to last month's massacre in Orlando.

As Democrats are pushing Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) for votes on their gun control proposals, taking to the House floor Thursday to read the names of victims of gun violence, Republicans can’t agree among themselves on what they will support in a gun package.

While some in House leadership hold out hope for a vote before the July 15 recess, sources cautioned that much work remains to get there.

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